FatBoySlim

Hey all, I'm from Brooklyn, NY and I'm 25. I started out at 280, and had surgery 4/23/07. I've had two fills so far and am down to 252. I'm only 25, however I had no choice but to do it ASAP. My dad who's been overweight most of his life developed diabetes in his earely 30's and went on to have all kinds of medical problems including kidney failure and a kidney transplant. 3 years ago he was at wits end, at 256 lbs and started doing research on the band. Long story short, he had it done exactly 3 years before me and he lost all of his excess weight in about 8 - 9 months, and has been 168 - 173 lbs ever since. So for me, it was more of preventing all that. I also have a beautiful wife and baby girl, so it changes your perspective on things in general. So far it's been going great, I fit back into many old pants and shirts I stopped wearing a while ago, and I'm now at the gym 3 times a week. I couldn't be happier. OH, just wanted to add that I had the surgery done in NYU by Dr. Christine Ren.

Hello all! I had surgery in NYC with Dr. Ren about 9 moths ago. I was eligible to do it with insurance and so far I've lost 70 out of 105 lbs I need to lose. Obviously I have only great things to say about it :mad: My wife was getting jealous and it made it that much harder for her to stick to diets and lose any weight. We decided it was time for her to do this as well. Problem was, she wasn't heavy enough to do it with insurance. Long story short, we came across this post here and started researching Dr. Kirshenbaum. She had surgery last Tuesday (a week ago) and already lost 9 lbs! The thing is she's already starting to get her appetite back and her first fill won't be for at least another 3 weeks. I had the same problem right after my surgery, I got my appetite back rather quickly, and was going NUTS for my first fill! Anyhow, I just keep telling her that it's not about weight loss right now, it's about healing. Easy for me to say though lol! Bottom line though, I have only amazing things to say about Dr. K and the whole staff. First of all, being from NYC, I really am not accustomed to the friendliness of people in the Midwest. Honestly, in Walgreens the cashier asked me if I found everything OK. I turned to my wife and said "never in my LIFE has a cashier bothered to ask me that!" it was hillarious! Dr K. though is amazingly patient and calming. His whole staff is so friendly and really made the whole deal a breeze. During the surgery I was obviously sitting there nervous waiting for some news. As soon as the surgery was over, he himself called my cell while still in the OR! Very very nice of him. My wife is heeling nicely and we're both extremely excited for her to start her band journey. Thank you to all the people here for posting all the info about Dr. K, we never would have known about him without this place.

Hey all, I haven't posted in a while. I had surgery with Dr. Ren here in NYC about 9 months ago. Lost almost 70 lbs already and love it. The insurance paid for my surgery, but my wife isn't eligible. Therefore, she's having surgery next week with Dr. Kirshenbaum and we're paying for it ourselves. So far everyone my wife spoke to sounded really friendly on the phone, and she's extremely excited! I read through many of the posts here (this is actually how we've heard of Dr. K in the first place) and we're confident she'll be in good hands. I also spoke to the staff here in NY at NYU and they'll be doing her fills. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone here for all the great info, and we'll keep you posted on her progress!

I'm 25 and have been banded for about 3 1/2 months now. Have lost 43 lbs out of 105 that I need to lose. I'm young but I'm already married with a kid and I decided that I don't want my kids to have a dad that's in and out of the hospital because of Diabetes and other things I could potentially develop cuz of weight. I've started playing ball again and I'm fitting into clothing that hasn't fit in years! I'm very open about my band (I think that has to do with the fact that I'm a guy) and sometimes I feel like shouting it out from a rooftop :mad: Anyway, good luck to all!

I'm glad I found this thread because for me too this has been by far the hardest thing for me. Whenever food gets stuck, I freak out and drink something. It hurts like hell but it forces the food through. My doc has told me that this is really bad and can cause slippage. I'm going back for another fill tomorrow and I'm hoping that it will help me stop. My dad who also has the band, is MUCH tighter than me, and he physically CAN'T drink with his food, it causes him to PB right away. I'm hoping for the same results and that will help me get past this habit. In the last 2 weeks I barely lost anything and I'm sure it's because of this.

Hey New Yorkers, I too am from NYC and had it done by Dr. Ren. Check out my post and the post of other ny'ers here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18/brooklyn-ny-whatup-36741/ Good luck!

Hey, just because I got banded and lost 35 lbs don't mean I'm any less lazy and will stop playing some video games (although my wife was hoping it would help). I signed up to a gym though and go three times a week. I've slacked off the last two weeks, but I don't see myself having any kind of home gym.

I'm still early in the journey as well, but I'm down 35 lbs from 280 to my current weight of 245. Here are a few things: (Great thread btw) I have tons of clothing I can finally wear again that hasn't fit me in ages! I'm no longer always the biggest person in a crowd. I can sit in a movie theater without the sides digging into my ass! I flew to Vegas 2 weeks ago, and the seatbelt wasn't all the way to the end! I've always been a cocky bastard even at my heaviest point, yet now I've found a way to be even MORE cocky! Can you imagine what I'll be like when I reach my goal?! WATCH OUT!! I played baseball this Sunday (first time in almost 2 years) and was able to make it from second to home on a single! I'm not the slowest guy on the field anymore! That's all for now. I'm sure when I lose more the list will be much longer, but I ain't complainin! Also, this isn't necessarily a good or bad thing, but I've noticed that I have to start making my tie a bit shorter because my stomach is smaller! How weird is that?

I've practically worn a sign around my neck for the past two and a half months saying "I'VE BEEN BANDED!! WOOHOO!!!" Seriously, I've told anyone who's anyone especially to overweight ppl like myself, simply because I think it's the greatest thing in the world and I feel like I just want to share the wealth. By nature I'm a thick skinned bastard so for those few ppl that have a problem with it, and make comments about it, I either just give them the finger (hey, I AM from ny :confused: ) or I just ignore them. I will say though, that sometimes, ppl that know will definitely watch what I'm eating and when I eat more than what they think I'm able to eat they'll be like "oh you can still eat pretty nicely." That can be annoying, but the truth is, up till my last fill I also felt like I can still eat too much so I agreed with them. Bottom line is, you gotta know your friends. If you think they'll be nonsupporting, then just show up in your new body and let them eat their heart out. If they are the supportive type, then let them enjoy the journey with you.

Hey, just checking in with everyone here. I got my third fill last week, and now have a total of 7.5 cc's in a max of 11 cc band. I finally feel some good restriction, up till this point I kept feeling like I can still eat too much. I'm down to 245 which is a total of 35 lbs lost, so I can't complain at all. Loveli, don't be scare of the fill, you really don't feel anything. It's really not a big deal at all. Go get a fill, you'll be happy you did. Before my first fill I was able to eat pretty much just like before surgery, so I really wanted it already. Also, go to Gaspar, he's the man, he'll take care of you. He'll give you an adjustment as much as you want, how you want it and when you want it. He himself has the band so he knows what's what. Good man. Maria : I chose Dr Ren simply because my dad had it done with her. She was great to work with, but it's weird, I haven't seen her once since surgery. I always deal with Gaspar for fills. Either way though, whether you choose Fielding or Ren you can't go wrong. Many people chose one or the other based on their insurances, because I know there are some that she takes that he doesn't and vice versa. Sunny : The first 3 days or so after surgery I was in a little bit of pain which Vicodin did a good job of dealing with :confused: By the 3rd day I was back at work. It's really cool. As for getting the fills, the first one will be scheduled for you when you go back 10 days after surgery for the esophogram. Beyond that, you can call anytime and schedule a fill with Gaspar. Like I said, he's the man and he's MUCH easier to get in with than the doctors. Also, like I Said, he has the band so he's the perfect man for the job. Hope that answers everything. Good luck to everyone!

I've been banded for 2 and a half months now and this is by far the hardest thing to train myself. I still don't chew enough, and still eat too quickly. The food then gets stuck and it's really uncomfortable. What I do then is I drink so soda and it can go one of two ways. Either it goes down (with a big gulp) and it hurts like HELL OR it just won't go down but then I gotta run to the bathroom cuz it all comes flying out. I just got another fill yesterday and I've only been eating mushy stuff for now till tomorrow or so. I'm hoping that the liquids will no longer push the food down, that way I'll learn once and for all how to eat slowly.

Wow, never heard of this "flouro". My doc doesn't use any machine, they just check the chart to see how much I have, then put some in the needle, pull out everything that's in the band to make sure, and then they inject. I've had two fills so far, and am still eating waaay too much. Haven't lost an ounce in a week! Getting my next fill in a week and a half. I'll tell him to give me as much as freaking possible!

Welcome, and good luck on your journey! Insurance companies can be a real pain in the butt when it comes to the lap band. I personally switched insurance 3!!!! times till I was finally accepted. You should thank your husband that he pushed you towards the lapband as opposed to the bypass. Long term the band is MUCH more effective. I know of two people that have lost a tremendous amount of weight with the bypass, and both have regained about 60 - 65 % of what they lost! Good luck!

My dad had surgery 3 years ago. He's been a diabetic for almost 20 years now. All I can say is that the lap band has added years to his life without a doubt. His weight (and genetics) caused the diabetes, which caused high blood pressure which caused him to have kidney failure. After a very successful kidney transplant, a doctor told him "you're kidney will likely not give you problems again in this lifetime, however if you don't want to be a vegetable sitting in a wheelchair when your grandkids get older, you gotta do something about your weight". That obviously gave him a real kick in the pants. Long story short, he lost ALL of his excess weight with the band, and has kept it off for 3 years!! He injects about 1/4 of the insulin a day that he used to. If you're a diabetic, don't even think twice. Like I said, it'll add years! I'm only 25 and to prevent the horrible disease, I got myself banded 2 months ago.

When I PB, I wait about 5 minutes, and finish eating what I started. I usually go MUCH slower the second time around, but I've never gone on liquids after a PB.

Trust me, my metabolism ain't that great, if it were I wouldn't be in this position. You have to understand, the hot dogs were nice and crispy, it wasn't soft at all, and also I didn't eat the bun. Same goes for the pizza, it was very crunchy. I agree that I shouldn't be able to eat it either, but that's why, if you've been reading my posts, I keep complaining that I need another fill. I too agree that I shouldn't be able to eat it. The bottom line is, at the end of the day, whether it's pizza or hot dogs, I'm still eating MUCH less than I did before, and overall calorie intake is MUCH less. Therefore I'm losing weight. It doesn't really matter what you eat, as long as you fill that pouch, get yourself full with little food, you'll lose the weight. Whether or not I'm getting the right nutrition is a different argument, but you can still eat fatty foods and lose. Capiche?

I've had surgery only 2 months ago, and have lost 28 lbs so far. So this isn't really a question that pretains to me, it's hypothetical at this point, but am curious what people think about this. My doc told me that he would have no problem loosening me up as much as I want before going away on vacation or something, as long as I promise to come back. He then told me of some person that came in for a loosening before a religious Holiday where he knew he wanted to eat alot. Long story short, in two weeks, the guy gained 28 lbs!! He came back for his fill and lost in shortly thereafter. I guess my question here is, what do you think? Would you ever consider doing something like that? To me, since I'm still trying to lose it all, that sounds absurd, but I'm wondering if down the road once I lose it all (crosses fingers) if I go away on vacation if I'd want to do something like that. I honestly don't know.

KimNYC, I had to switch insurance 3 times to get this done. First I had Empire Blue cross, then I switched to Guardian, till finally I switched to Oxford and they approved it. They might be the most expensive, but they're the best by far. Good luck! Alsgyrl: Good for you for being able to hold back. In my head im still that same pig, and I want to be able to eat certain foods. Therefore certain preperations have to me bade :-D LOL. As for alcohol, I've had a few beers since the surgery, and it's just like soda. If soda works for you then beer is no problem. I also had a shot of Jack a couple of weeks ago, and if was no problem at all.

Hey Lanny, Well first of all, when they say each person is different, they're NOT kidding. My dad and myself have had such different experiences it's unreal. That being said, there are foods that can be eaten if done right. Meaning you can somewhat beat the system. The pizza I ate was toasted and so crunchy, it almost hardly resembled a fresh slice of pizza. As for the dog, same story. It was without a bun, and it was nice and crispy, I left it on the grill for long. I had to chew them both like crazy, and it went down with no problems. I got full MUCH quicker though, so everyone wins! I do still think I can eat too much, and I'm not losing weight quickly enough. I'm going out of town next week, so I don't want to get another fill just yet, but as soon as I come back I'm going for another fill. We'll see if I can still eat the pizza and dogs then! I'll keep you posted. Good luck on your journey!

My dad who's a diabetic had the surgery 3 years ago. Since he was a diabetic, he was told to drink Glucerna for the liquid diet. When I got mine 2 months ago (I'm not a diabetic) he told me to get those because they were actually not half bad. I got them, and the chocolate flavored one (When cold) is actually pretty tasty. Good luck!

Yea, I remember that first week after surgery, where all of a sudden I was like "what on Gods green earth did I just do to myself?! This is freaking permanent!!!" It hit me like a ton of bricks! The first time you'll step on the scale, and see that you lost weight, those thoughts will fly away faster than a drug dealer running from the cops. You'll see!

I might get flamed for saying this, but for me personally, I never felt that I was ill or had some disease. I've been overweight my whole life, but at the same time I know full well that I was 100% to blame. I ate what I wanted when I wanted how I wanted. I tried dieting, lost some weight, but then gave up and gained it all back. Story of my life! But bottom line, I know and accept that it was my fault. I never once looked for sympathy and again, I really didn't feel like it was something out of my control like disease. I obviously don't think negatively about us overweight people, but I do think disease is too strong of a word. (Sorry if anyone takes offense to that, really not my intention.)

No offense but this woman sounds like a queen B. Email me her phone number or if you want I'll give you mine. I'd love to have a little chat with her, and set her straight! :angry All kidding aside though, whenever someone would give me crap about the band I would always say "yes, I'm waving the white flag, and announcing to the world I CAN'T DIET!! SUE ME!! I SUCK AT DIETING! I've made peace with that, but I still want to fit in a chair at the theater without having those stupid handles diggin into me!! So, I'm doing something extreme that will be the 'easy way out' but I'll be slim!" Once people hear that, there's nothing they can really respond. If you're admiting to their face that you know you're taking the easy way out, you take the wind out of their sails, trust me, it works every time!

Please explain why.

The two points I bolded are the two I disagree with. First, no you really can't eat the same foods. Not at all. When was the last time you had a steak, or a slice of pizza? Big big no nos after the band. Secondly, an alcoholic has no help to stop drinking. There's nothing that will give him the same "high" like alcohol. With the band, if you go back for your tightening, you have the same "full" sensation which is why it works so well in the first place. Again, I don't think I would do it, but there's no question that you can enjoy many more foods when it's unfilled.